


Warmth

by owlaashi



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Dating, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-24 16:13:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10745193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlaashi/pseuds/owlaashi
Summary: “More than a friend?” Diachi chuckles as he gets both of the mugs ready for the tea. “After we beat Shiratorizawa we had a celebration with the team and some friends at Suga’s. We had gone outside with Asahi to talk, but he got held up by Noya so it was just the two of us and he kissed me. After that it was pretty hard to deny that there was anything there. So, I asked him on a date, and then another and another and then he told me to ask him to be my boyfriend already, and punched me in the arm.”Or,Daichi's spent three years thinking about how Suga continuously makes him feel warm inside and Suga finally does something about it. Twice.





	Warmth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [isntyet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/isntyet/gifts).



> This was written for my favorite person in the whole entire world.
> 
> This is a sort-of companion fic to Comfort, however, you do not have to have read that to understand this. This fic was written as a prequel of sorts to the aforementioned one having to do with how Daichi & Suga bridged the gap between friends and more than friends.
> 
> Also feel free to follow me on [Tumblr](https://owlaashi.tumblr.com/)
> 
> This was my first time writing for the characters, so they are probably not one hundred percent accurate; I'm working on that. If you like it, let me know and if you don't like it, let me know why. Thank you for reading!
> 
> Side Note: This wasn't beta-ed, I apologize.

**First Year, First Realization:**

Daichi doesn’t usually consider himself someone who is afraid to start a conversation, but the first time that he laid eyes on Sugawara Koushi he stumbled over his own words, nearly forgetting his own name. This would not have been the first time that Daichi was stunned by another boys’ appearance – he’d long since come to terms with the fact that he appreciated the size and shape of a boys hands over a girls. But the first time he laid eyes on Sugawara his chest contracted, his palms got sweaty and the only thing he could think of was how soft his hair looked.

From that moment on he knew that Sugawara Koushi was going to be the death of him.

He hadn’t been wrong either, both were assigned to Class 4 and they were both on the Volleyball team. Luckily for Daichi he was able to remedy his speechlessness quickly and as it turned out Suga was easy to get along with and had the most angelic laugh ( which had made it a little hard to regain the ability to speak once he heard it, but he manages ).

“Hey Daichi.”

Daichi looks up from the school book he has open on his table, a questioning sound rising from his voice box. The two of them were at Daichi’s house working on homework after volleyball practice. Suga was seated across the table from him, sitting on folded legs with a pencil in his hand and a purple pen by his notebook. Daichi notices the way his eyes are crinkled at the edges, making him look slightly younger than he is.

“Do you really think if we do all this extra practice that it’s going to pay off? He’s referring to volleyball. Suga doesn’t look worried, but Daichi can tell that there’s hint of something off in his voice. The silver haired boy doodles something at the top corner of his notebook, only glancing up at the other ever so often.

 “Of course, as long as the three of us continue to work hard and get better, one day it’s all going to pay off. Whether that’s this year or next, or even when we’re Third Years.” That’s something he’s sure of, and it’s easy to tell because he says it with such confidence. They may not be on the strongest team that Karasuno has ever had but it’s still _The Karasuno_ and Daichi will stand by his school till the very end of the line. He’d been so proud to walk into Karasuno on the first day, even prouder when he was given his first volleyball uniform, and he still is.

Their team isn’t the best, they don’t have a whole lot of players to spare, their captain is determined but the rest of them aren’t exactly, they don’t have a real coach and spend a lot of their time getting things done on their own. When they do have practice, it isn’t very complete, and there are a lot of holes that they can’t fill from lack of proper training. But none of that matters to Daichi and the two other first year players because they’re going to train their hardest, they’re going to try their best so that one day when it counts they’ll be more than prepared. Nationals seems just out of their reach right now, but he knows that the three of them are going to make it.

Daichi just hopes that Suga and Asahi, the other first year in their trio, believe in the same things that he does.

It looks as though Suga is thinking about something, but Daichi still isn’t able to figure that out by just looking at him. Maybe one day they’ll be able to look at each other without uttering a single word and know exactly what the other is thinking. It could be stretching, but even if Suga isn’t _like_ him, there’s a part of Daichi that just knows the two of them will be best friends.

Suddenly Suga’s face breaks out into a smile so wide that his eyes crinkle enough it looks like they’re closed. “You’re going to make a great Captain one day, Daichi.” He’s so genuine about it, how his smile still sticks to his face even after he says it. No matter what he’s doing or saying, he looks so delicate and soft. “You’re going to be _our_ Captain.”

Daichi feels like he’s been punched right in the heart. He knows that the _our_ is meant as Karasuno, and even though a part of him wishes Suga had said _my captain_ he can find solace in the reality anyway. It leaves him speechless that someone he’s only managed to know for a few months already thinks that he’s worthy of being a captain to an entire team of kids. That someone he’s only just met is ready to completely trust him with the future of their schools’ volleyball team.

“You think so?” Daichi asks, scratching the back of his head – ever so modest of himself, not sure that he’d make a good captain. Was he equipped to handle people that weren’t like himself? Or Suga? Or Asahi? Would he be able to make the correct decisions for an entire group of people that are expecting to win? He doesn’t think he’s ready for that right at this moment, but there’s always a chance that he’ll grow into it, after all he’s only a first year.

“Of course, Daichi.” Suga laughs, reaching across the table to punch his friend in the shoulder.

It always manages to catch him off guard, even when he’s expecting it the force behind it is always a surprise. Looking at Suga one might not think that he can really throw a punch, but he doesn’t hold back and he can surely take someone out if he had too. Every time it makes Daichi wonder whether Suga would be interested in working on spikes and not just tosses and receiving.

“You’re the only man for the job.”

**_Ka-thunk._ **

Daichi feels his heart swell a size larger than usual, the beat of it picking up at the way Suga says the words so earnestly, with the utmost trust written across his features and the truth shining in his eyes. It makes Daichi’s stomach do summersaults, and leave goosebumps blooming under his cream sweater. _The only man for the job, huh?_

“Well if you say so, Suga.” Despite his stomach getting ready for an Olympic showing of gymnastics he laughs, pushing through the goosebumps, the heart swelling and the quickening pulse ( which is, unfortunately, something he’s probably going to be doing until the end of his high school years ).

Maybe, Daichi realizes, that this warmth in his chest is going to grow into something much bigger than just fondness for a friend and a teammate.

* * *

 

**Second Year, Second Realization:**

Coach Ukai had come out of a brief retirement to work of the volleyball club again. He’d put them through the ringer, making them run laps all day, they’d serve and spike until their arms were ready to fall off, diving drills were second nature to them by now. It was an opportunity that Daichi wasn’t going to let fall through the wayside, even when all of them would be bent over, trying to catch their breaths and looking for the will to continue.

It happed a few times over their second year, he’d come and go with knowledge about the game, trying to help them build themselves back up. But it seems that each time he stops by to help them it leaves the team feeling more defeated than they were when they’d started. They all knew that this was meant to help, but it seems that it all reminded them that they weren’t as prepared as they thought they were. They had talented players on their team, but they all still had a lot to learn.

Suga is laid out on the floor of the gym, a half empty water bottle in his hand and a sheen of sweat covering his entire body, making his hair piece together and his shirt stick to his chest. Asahi’s head is so heavy against the gym wall that Daichi thinks it might leave a dent when he finally pulls himself up from the floor. He watches as the first years clean up the gym, gathering the balls and starting to close the nets. Daichi’s sits himself down near Suga and Asahi, reaching for his own bottle of water.

Daichi doesn’t miss the year spent cleaning up the gym after practice, and fully appreciates the ability to sit back and relax after a grueling practice like the one they’d just had. Though he does find it quiet amusing to watch two first years, Tanka and Nishnoya, run across the gym with mops like they hadn’t just been heavying breathes minutes before. At least with the two of them they clean up the gym faster.

The silver haired boy makes some noise that sounds like it’s meant to be a laugh but sounds more like a pained noise instead. He’d been setting balls for the entire team all night, Daichi knows that his arms must feel like lead weights attached to him.

“I know how you feel.” Asahi mutters, finally pulling his head away from the wall, and dragging himself onto his feet. The first years are already starting to walk over to the double doors, getting ready to leave. “I’ll catch up with you two tomorrow, uh…there’s something I have to do.” He mumbles, the skin on the back of his neck looks like it’s turning pink again.

Suga and Daichi both laugh, but nod their heads as they get up from the floor at the same time, and watch as the rest of the team gathers their things and bids goodbye. It’s only the two of them left to close the gym.

By now the two of them are more than just friends, their _best_ friends and Daichi still finds his pulse racing when the two of them are close, he still gets goosebumps when their hands accidentally brush together, and he still gets speechless when Suga says something sweet. So, not much has _really_ changed.

Unless one counts the way that Suga’s eyes always linger a little longer on Daichi, or how the two of them have fallen into the habit of sharing a bed when they sleep at each other’s houses, or how there are occasions where Suga grabs Daichi’s hand for an amount of time that might be considered _something more_.

Sometimes it makes Daichi’s head spin, and other times it makes his heart almost beat out of his chest.

“Captain Sawamura Daichi.” Suga breaks their silence as they walk home together, the street lights the only source of light until they reach the crossroads where they part ways. There aren’t that many of them, but it’s the perfect amount to bask Suga in a warm glow, where his eyes seem to shine more than usual.

It feels unnatural to hear the word _captain_ in front of his name, even though it’s been a month or so since the third years left, leaving him as the captain. But it was something that he took in stride, and was going to be everything he could to be the captain that they all needed. That they all thought he could be.

“Vice-Captain Sugawara Koushi.” Daichi replies, glancing out of the corner of his eye to look at his best friend. The way the street light is falling on him makes the mole at the corner of his eye almost invisible – he wants to reach out and touch the space, but he doesn’t.

Suga had been elected their vice-captain, and there is no one else that Daichi would rather captain a team with. They’d grown together since their first year, they’d trained together, studied together and now they would end volleyball together. No one could ever have Daichi’s back like Suga could.

“Didn’t I tell you that you’d make a great captain someday?” There’s a smile on his lips, a soft one, something that Daichi has learned he reserves only for the moments they get alone. “Didn’t I tell you that you’d be our captain. I should leave volleyball and become a psychic.”

He laughs, a beautiful, angelic laugh that makes Daichi’s heart grow twice in size.

“You wouldn’t, I wouldn’t allow you too.” _You’re too good for that_ , he says with his eyes and a soft smile all his own.

“I suppose that’s right.” Suga’s hand brushes against Daichi’s as they approach the part in the road where they part ways.

This is always Daichi’s least favorite part in their walk home. Watching Suga walk off down the road to his home and his family, to continue without him. Even though Daichi is fully aware that he’ll wait at this same spot in the morning, and walk down the street to wait for Asahi and the three of them will walk to school together.

Daichi stops at the corner of the road, his hands resting in the pockets of his Karasuno High School Volleyball Jacket. They both always trying to stretch out their last moments of the night, finding any little thing to talk about before one of them realizes the time and bids the other a goodnight. It’s usually always him that does it too, because Daichi is responsible, and keeping them both up late isn’t worth it unless they’re together.

Or so he tries to tell himself.

He hadn’t realized that Suga had turned to face him, both hands clutched around the strap of his backpack. There’s a look in his eye that Daichi doesn’t think he’s ever seen before, and wonders what it means. Trying his hardest he goes through the catalogue of Suga he has in his mind, trying to fit the look to a known emotion but comes up short. It’s more different than he’s originally thought, the longer that he looks at him.

The longer that the two of them stare at each other.

There’s a pink tint across Suga’s cheeks and the bridge of his nose, but he doesn’t avert his eyes much to Daichi’s surprise. He wonders whether his heart is beating as much as his is, Daichi can feel the pulse beat through his skin.

“I will follow you to the ends of the Earth, Captain.”

The words hit him like a truck barreling down the road with tons of product on the back of it. It makes every single nerve in his body stand at attention, the goosebumps following their orders and popping up across every inch of his body. All the muscles in his chest are contracting all at once as his stomach bottoms out and suddenly feels empty. There are a hundred things that Daichi wants to say after that but it feels like his mouth is dry and his tongue is made of cotton.

But that doesn’t matter, because Suga doesn’t give him a chance to say anything he doesn’t follow up with a laugh, or a punch in the arm. Instead he just gives Daichi one of those smiles that are strictly reserved for him and turns around to head home, leaving Daichi to stand there in speechless and in shock.

Last year Daichi had been right, the warmth in his chest that spread to form goosebumps on his skin was more than just fondness for a friend and had everything to do with wanting to interlace their fingers together, and look at the delicate smile all night long.

* * *

 

**Third Year, Acknowledgement:**

The entire next day was spent working hard during school, not slacking at practice and going all out at their celebration party at Asahi’s house with the team and some of their friends.

They had done it, they’d beaten Shiratorizawa and were on their way to Nationals.

The house was filled with more people than they thought were going to come, but then again this was the first time in years that the Karasuno Volleyball club had made it to the orange stage. It only made sense that even friends of friends would come out for a celebration. Most of the people that came were friends of their two loudest and charismatic second years, along with some of the girls’ volleyball club, and a few first years that Hinata knew from class. All Daichi cared about was finding Suga in the mess of people.  

Unfortunately for him they hadn’t shown up together, Suga had mentioned having to run home for something before stopping by the party and Daichi had opted to go home with Asahi to help with setting things up. If it weren’t for all of his family he would have had the party at his house, but Asahi’s parents were away for business which left the house the perfect place for the celebration. Still, Daichi found himself wondering what it was the Suga had to go home to do, usually they did keep secrets from each other.

Then again Daichi had been keeping his crush from Suga ever since their first year.

When he feels the hand on his shoulder, his heart beats a little faster at the thought that it might be Suga that’s found him but when he turns his head he sees that it’s not him but Michimiya. Daichi immediately feels back about the way his heart slows down, and because of the feeling of slight disappointment that he feels. It isn’t that he doesn’t like her, it’s just that she’s a girl and _not_ Suga. They’ve known each other since middle school, had been playing volleyball together since they’ve known each other, and he would consider her one of his closer friends. Which is why he feels so bad that he can’t return the feelings that she has for him.

“Michimiya.” Despite not being the person that he was looking for, there’s still a smile on his face when he turns to her to give her the attention. “I didn’t think you’d be here.” They might have been friends, but he knows that she’d had a visit to a University scheduled for the next morning, and just assumed that she’d be at home getting ready for it.

“I figured that I would stop by for a little bit. This is a big celebration for you guys, you made it to Nationals!” There’s a sparkle in her eye, hands clasped in front of her. Her lips were pulled into a smile, until they weren’t and instead were replaced with a pink dusting across her cheeks. “I knew you could do it, Daichi-san.”

He’d been afraid of that, when she’d first given him the Victory Charm before the game. Although, there had always been some part of him that knew it was meant more for him than it was meant for the whole team. It was easier to ignore it then, and all that harder to ignore it now when the two of them are all but alone in the group of people. How was he supposed to break it to her that they weren’t going to ever be anything more than friends?

“Well we’re a formidable team now, with Hinata and Kageyama’s freak quicks, combined with everyone else’s abilities...” Daichi trails off, scratching at the back of his head, a nervous laugh tumbling from his lips. It always seemed so much easier to turn someone down in thought than in reality.

“It was you, Daichi. You’re their captain, you gave them the backbone to go out there and fight until the end. Even when you all were run down, and ready to collapse, it was you that was able to rally your team.”

Daichi was about to open his mouth to deny that, to tell her it was really Nishinoya that was able to rally the team, and that old guy that yelled for them at the very end. But he doesn’t have the time to open his mouth before he sees a perfect version of an angel to his left.

“Captain Sawamura Daichi, the _best_ high school volleyball captain this side of the Miyagi prefecture.” Suga emphasizes his sentence with a few punches the side that make Daichi double over from the force.

It’s always a surprise when Suga punches him, or hits him, or karate chops him because he always seems to forget just how much force the setter puts behind it. Something that he always appreciates whenever he realizes again.

“Vice-Captain Sugawara Koushi, the _best_ vice-captain that a captain could ask for and amazing at coming up with cheers to give confidence to the first years.” He wants to ask him where he was, if everything was alright, if he needed help but he can’t when Michimiya is right here. It would be rude, and Daichi is many things but rude is not one of them.

She looks a little disappointed now that Suga has come into their little celebration for two, but doesn’t open her mouth to voice it. In fact, she doesn’t even say anything, other than give a little laugh at the exchange between teammates, and tuck a piece of her short hair behind her ear.

“I hate to break this up, but the Vice-Captain is calling a meeting for the third years. I need to steal him for a moment, but I’ll return him right back when we’re finished!” Suga gives Michimiya an apologetic look as he wraps a hand around Daichi’s forearm to pull him off in the direction of the back door, where a small backyard is.

He has no choice but to follow after him, stumbling over his footing. They don’t even stop as they approach Asahi, instead Suga just tells him the same thing as they make their way past the throng of people. This spontaneous sort of meeting isn’t out of character but it certainly isn’t something the average person would suspect from him. Daichi on the other hand, is sort of used to these spontaneous side of the setter; out of all their friends, he’s the one that experiences it the most.

Which is _fine_ as much as Daichi likes to know when things are going to happen, he wouldn’t want to share this side of Suga with anyone else. _Here’s to hoping that it stays that way_ , he always reminds himself. The only time Daichi is ever jealous is when it comes to Suga.

The silver haired boy slides open the door to the backyard, and quickly checks to make sure they have the space to themselves before pulling them onto the concrete. They hand on Daichi’s forearm releases itself.

The backyard is nothing special, almost half of it is covered in concrete, while the other half is a clean-cut grass lawn that looks like it’d just been cut recently. A few stray volleyballs rest in the grass and the concrete near the door, there are some pots of various kinds of flowers on either side of the door, and at the entrance into the grass. Surrounding the concrete is a small wall, about knee height wrapping around and connecting to the side of the house. It’s neat as can be, just like the rest of the house.

Suga and Daichi both sit next to each other on the small wall, backs to the door of the house. Both of Suga’s hands remain in his lap, head titled back to look up at the stars. It was a clear night, which meant it was perfect for stargazing, just cool enough that a light sweater would be sufficient enough coverage. The moonlight casts a glow over Suga that makes Daichi’s heart beat a little bit faster.

“A meeting, hm?” Daichi questions, leaning back on his hands, just so that his fingers rest over the lip of the wall. There is a slight chill from the concrete of the wall that he can feel through his jeans.

“Yes, but I’m not uttering a word until Asahi comes outside.” His gaze doesn’t leave the sky, but Daichi can tell that there’s a little smile on his face.

Daichi doesn’t ask any other questions on the matter. Instead he keeps an eye on his best friend out of the corner of his eye, watching the little twitch of his nose, the way his lips part when he takes a breath, the way the moonlight falls high on his cheekbones, accentuating the mole under his eye. This would not be the first time that Daichi has spent time thinking about what it might feel like to ghost his fingertips over it.

A crush he’d hoped has disappeared after a few months, has instead grown into him, weaving its roots into the deepest parts of him and refusing to let go. Of course, Daichi had done nothing to stop the growth itself: he didn’t limit their time together, he didn’t stop himself from watching Suga during the smallest everyday tasks, he didn’t stop himself from wondering what Suga’s hair felt like. If anything, he only added to its growth by constantly having hope.

“Do you know that I think you’re handsome, Daichi?”

Daichi is **_startled_**. So much so, that he actually looks around the yard to see if anyone else was there, if this was just another one of the pranks Suga would occasionally pull on him. No one.

Was this a set up then? Was Asahi really not coming out after all? Was this just a clever ploy to pull Daichi away from the party?

More importantly, when did Suga start to think this, and why had Daichi not noticed sooner?

Suga laughs beside him, punching him in the thigh gently before returning his hand to his lap. His shoulders aren’t as tense as one might think, getting ready to confess to someone they have a crush on. “I have for a while you know. I’m actually surprised that you didn’t catch on, you’re usually so keen on things.”

That isn’t a lie. It was Daichi that knew Asahi and Noya were an item before even Asahi knew. It was Daichi that knew there was something going on between Hinata and Kageyama despite the fact that they spent most of their time yelling and insulting each other. It was also Daichi that knew that Yamaguchi’s loyalty to Tsukishima was more than just friendship. Was he so focused on other people that he didn’t even spend time thinking that someone might find him attractive?

But finding someone handsome doesn’t automatically mean that they’re interested in holding hand and kissing under the moonlight. It doesn’t mean that they want to go out on dates, and receive chocolates and flowers on a doorstep. As quickly as his surprise came, it also vanishes.

“ _Honestly_ , Daichi.” Suga turns to face him, his lips pulling themselves into a small smile. There’s a light tint of pink on his cheeks, that wouldn’t have been noticed if the moonlight wasn’t basking him in a soft glow. “I’ve been waiting three years hoping that you’d notice.”

There he goes again, being **_startled_**.

Suga had been waiting three years?

Daichi had been waiting three years.

“Three years?” Daichi questions, turning his body to face Suga, his own hands resting in his lap, shoulders straightened in disbelief. “You’ve been waiting three years for me to notice?” He repeats, still not sure how he _hadn’t_ noticed. Was he really too busy looking at the mole under Suga’s eye to notice anything else that’d gone on?

Beside him Suga clears his throat, turning himself to face Daichi as well. The sounds of the party are barely audible through the doors, which is surprising considering Tanka and Noya are there. He seems to be waiting, thinking, debating but Daichi is too stuck in his own head to notice anything else.

If Daichi had been paying attention he would have seen the way that Suga moved closer to him, reached out a hand to grab at the fabric of Daichi’s shirt, and pull him closer to slot their lips together. Suga’s other hand steadies himself on Daichi’s thigh, while both of Daichi’s hands come up to rest on either side of his best friends’ face, his fingers threading into the hair at the nape of his neck. It’s soft at first, but the two of them press into it, keeping it just lips of lips and nothing more. Daichi is too respectable a man to delve in any deeper, no matter what his heart is telling him.

Every nerve in his body is standing at attention, and he becomes hyperaware of the placement of Suga’s hands when they finally pull away from each other. Both of their faces are pink, from lack of air and what just happened between them. Neither of them knows what to say to each other.

But by the smile on Suga’s face, and the way that Daichi knows his eyes are sparkling down at Suga, he knows that this is the moment that all his realizations are coming together into acknowledgement. And there is no way that the two of them can deny that there is something between them.

They both hear the door slide open, and the nervous voice of their other friend. “S-Sorry about the wait….Noya…just..” But he can’t finish the sentence and Daichi and Suga can only smile and laugh, but not at Asahi, at themselves for waiting three years to do something.

* * *

 

**Third Year, Date One:**

It was _horrible_.

Daichi was so nervous that he spilt Suga’s spicy mapo tofu all over his lap, and knocked over their drink cups when trying to get up to help him. It was an embarrassing affair, even more so when he tried to wipe up Suga’s pants with the napkins from the table and received looks from an older woman a few tables away.

None of that seemed to matter to Suga though, who despite having stained pants and a slight burn, laughed and smiled at Daichi with the same smile he’s always given him.

For the rest of the night Daichi kept apologizing, his face never quite losing the redness, and offering to make it up to him; although, he did start wondering if maybe it was a sign that things should halt.

Suga had kissed him on the cheek later that night when Daichi dropped him off, and made him promise to ask him out again, and just because it’s Suga he added: “ _And next time, don’t spill my dinner on me”_ , before walking inside.

When Daichi got home that night he fell face first into his bed and tried not to think about how much of a fool he was earlier.

Back at his own home, Suga spent the night telling Ennoshita about how lovely Daichi was.

* * *

 

**Summer Before University, Date Two:**

Fortunately for Daichi he got a second date, with the promise that he wouldn’t spill their dinner on Suga again. There was no way that he was ever going to be able to forget about that, Suga was going to hold that over him until they day that they both died.

If they have that long together, Daichi wouldn’t really be able to find it in him to care much.

They’d just left dinner without incident, thankfully, and were heading toward Suga’s favorite ice cream shop in Sendai, hand in hand. Before this Daichi had always wondered what Suga’s hand would feel like, and it was nothing like he’d imagined. In all Daichi’s thoughts he assumed that Suga’s hand would feel rough and calloused from years of volleyball, but he was wrong. They were soft, smooth and much smaller than Daichi would have thought. It might just be his wishful thinking, but he feels like their hands fit perfectly in each other’s.

Both of them were heading off to University within a few days of each other, both off to start the next chapter of their lives, it worried Daichi the two of them had waited too long to confess. Distance doesn’t always make the reunion better, sometimes the distance is what makes the reunion worse. What if the two of them drift apart, if they find someone else to confess too and whatever it is that they have fades away? It’s amusing to think that something like that could happen, especially when it was Suga that confessed and he was the one begging for a second date after their first mishap – but it was a possibility.

Once University started and they had to get jobs to pay for rent, who knows when they were going to have time to see each other? Not to mention Daichi was planning on joining the Volleyball team at his University, so that paired with working, classes and studying could make it nearly impossible to see each other.

No, why was Daichi spending their date thinking about all the possibilities of the two of them drifting apart, and this would all be for not? He was walking alongside one of the most beautiful men he’d ever laid his eyes on, someone that had kissed him, someone that knew him inside and out in only three years, someone that was willing to go on another date with him even after he spilled hot soup on him – what was wrong with him? Was he really that worried about this?

“Daichi? Daichi were you even listening to me?” Suga askes, waving his free hand in front of Daichi’s face. “You weren’t, were you? I’m going to order at least eight scoops to make up for it.”

He immediately feels bad for getting lost in his own thoughts when his entire being is supposed to be Suga’s for the night. This type of thoughts are the kinds that he should think about when he’s alone, not when he’s walking beside him.

“Whatever you want to make up for it. I’m sorry.” His lips pull up into a smile, as he scratches at the back of his neck in embarrassment. Daichi means it too, anything Suga wants for the rest of the night he’ll get him. What a terrible date he is.

They’d made it to the ice cream parlor fairly quick. Daichi remembers coming here as a child with his parents, and a few times with Suga and Asahi over the years but it’s been a while. The entire parlor is painted in assorted colors, with colored chairs and tables, it looks like a rainbow. There are families at tables inside, kids running around outside the parlor, a few people on dates sharing a sundae or milkshake together. The place wasn’t nearly as crowded as he thought it was going to be considering it was a Saturday night.

Daichi opens the door for Suga, letting him step through with a smile on his face, following behind him. Suga tightens the hold on their hands, stepping closer to Daichi’s side the further they move toward the front of the shop. He feels like the entire half of his body is trying to light itself on fire by the mere touch. This is the kind of feeling he’s going to need to remember when he’s at home thinking about how they might drift apart. How was something that made him feel like this going to fail?

“What kind of ice cream are you going to get?” Daichi asked, looking over at Suga.

“Hm, I think matcha flavor.” Suga’s signature smile is on his face, the kind that crinkles that edges of his eyes and almost mask the mole under his eye.

Daichi should have known that that was what he was going to get. Every single time that they come here Suga always get matcha flavor in a cone and Daichi always gets chocolate in a cone – they both creatures of habit ( it also makes it easy to pick up their respective favorite flavors of ice cream when they’re feeling down ).

The line moves up relatively quick, and before they know it they’re both ordering their cones, Daichi pays for their ice cream, they both collect their cones and they both leave deciding to walk to the nearby park instead. Daichi spends most of their walk to the park bench, licking around the edges of his cone to prevent the ice cream melting and laughing at Suga’s jokes.

“It feels weird knowing that we’re both going to be leaving and going to different schools.” Suga’s voice cuts into the silence as they make it into the park, and head toward the direction of the park benches. “All four of us, we know Asahi will be in Miyagi but Kiyoko will be going to Osaka, and you’re going to be going to Tokyo and I’ll be going to Kyoto…who knows when we’ll all be together again.”

Apart from Suga and Kiyoko they’re all going to quite a way away from each other, so getting together was going to be hard. It was going to be hard for all of them to get together, and while he was so caught up in worrying about him and Suga growing apart he completely forgot about Asahi and Kiyoko. But he’s glad that he’s not the only one that’s thinking about it. It has got to be something that all the third years are thinking about.

“Well you and Kiyoko will be pretty close to each other, you guys could always meet up and isn’t Iwaizumi supposed to be going there too? Kuroo is going to Toyoko too, we’re roommates so neither of us will be alone. We both known that Noya isn’t going to leave Asahi by himself back in Miyagi.” Daichi and Suga both laugh at the last bit, knowing that at least someone will be there to torture Asahi, that thought alone is enough for Daichi to leave to Toyoko with a weight off his shoulders. “You know that when I have spare time I’ll come down to see you and vice versa, we can count on each other to not let us all drift apart right? Plus, we both know that no matter what we’ll be back in Miyagi for Inter-High.”

All of it is just to soothe the hurt that’s going to come once they all leave. Outside of training camp, nationals and practice matches he and Kuroo don’t really know each other, so who is to tell that this roommate situation is going to be for the better. Other than official matches, and beating Aoba Johsai Suga doesn’t really know Iwaizumi, and who is to say that he’ll even want to talk to Suga after they lost to Karasuno? While Kiyoko will be close to Suga, who is to say that she’ll have time to visit him or vice versa? It’s all nice in thought, but Daichi knows that having hope is better than having nothing at all.

“You’re right, Daichi.” Suga smiles at him, scooting closer on the bench. “That’s why you’ll always be my Captain, because you never fail to give hope that things will turn out the way we want them too.”

The very familiar warmth begins to spread through him, just like it did that one night during their first year. No matter how many times over their three years together that he’s experienced this, he’s never gotten used to it, and he probably never will. It always feels like being able to breathe after having a cold, like the relief he feels in his legs after a grueling practice. It ignites him from where Suga is pressed to his side, all the way to the other side of him and down to the tips of his toes and the top of his head. This is a feeling that Daichi could live with for the rest of his life.

“Take me home, Daichi.”

He should have known that after their first disastrous date that this one wasn’t going to end any better than that. Maybe he was right, asking Suga out on another day was a bad idea.

“My parents are out, I just figured we could watch a movie there? Instead of sitting here with the bugs,” Suga swats at some bugs that were flying around them, probably due to the ice cream in their hands. “I didn’t mean to like end the date, I want to continue it.” His cheeks flare up in a beautiful shade of red, that reminds Daichi of watermelon when paired with his green ice cream.

Daichi smiles, nods his head and stands up from the park bench tossing his ice cream cone into the trash can near them. Suga follows, doing the same before joining Daichi at his side, linking their hands together again. Both of their hands are sticky from the ice cream but he can’t find it in him to care – he sort of feels like a little kid again, with ice cream all over his hands and face. If only he knew as a kid what he knows now.

Suddenly, he feels the light press of lips against his cheek, and a hand in his shirt front. His cheeks flare in a light shade of pink, eyes widen and his pulse picks up which he’s sure Suga can feel from where their wrists press together.

“Thank you, Daichi, for asking me on a second date.”  

The warmth he’s feeling right now spreads over him two-fold, there’s a tingling on his cheek where Suga’s lips were just moments before. All the waiting will be worth it, it’ll pay off in the end the nights he spent debating telling Suga, the days they spent joking around, the hours at practice and then the hours studying. It was all going to be worth something because Daichi was going to try his hardest to not let this distance get between them.

* * *

 

**University Year One, Winter Holiday, Date Three:**

Daichi spent an enormous amount of time trying to think about what the next perfect date was going to be for the two of them, it had to be a good one too. This was going to be the first time that they were going to be seeing each other since they left for University. Both of their schedules had been so busy, what with their classes, getting used to their apartments and their jobs neither of them had been able to visit each other. For the past few months they’d spent nights Skype calling each other or talking on the phone, and throughout the day they’d text each other. Regardless of constantly staying in touch, Daichi was determined to make this day special, and he’d finally figured out how to do that.

The Tokyo Skytree is busy this time of year, with school holiday, the upcoming holiday and the New Year, plus the tourist who are in the country for Christmas. But it’s what’s on the fourth floor of the Tokyo Solamachi shopping center that he’s taken Suga here for. A special showing that is only available during the winter months due to the intense heat of the Summer time; a special something that Daichi thinks Suga would _love_ to see.

“Daichi, where are we going?” Suga asks from his side, gripping onto his hand harder and pulling down on it to try and pull Daichi’s attention from where he’s looking. They’d just made it into the elevator, pressed closely together the digital number above the door climbs up to the number four.

“The shopping center at Tokyo Skytree.” Daichi replies with a smile on his face, glancing over at Suga with an amused smile on his face. It might only be a small surprise, and it isn’t really a _long_ one either, it’s quite short and it’ll be over rather quick – Daichi doesn’t want to ruin the excitement now. He’d much rather watch Suga’s face when he finally lays his eyes on it.

The elevator doors open allowing the patrons in the elevator to file out and head off in their respective directions. Daichi leads Suga out of the elevator and toward the middle section of the fourth floor, where a small group of people gathered around a shopfront. One half of the front is an assortment of wooden shelves of assorted sizes holding an array of objects, some in jars and some wrapped in a plastic bag, tied with red colored ribbons. The second half is surrounded with white and a few blue tiles, which houses two workers, one of them a cashier and the other one an artist. They’re still quite a while away but they can already feel the heat radiating from the area.

From the look on Suga’s face, Daichi can tell that despite being right here, he still doesn’t know what they’re going to be doing on their date. _Good, this is exactly what I wanted_. “Still don’t know?” Daichi asks, smiling as he leads them over to where a small group of people are watching the man behind the tiles. As they get closer to the group he can see the man working with a metal pole, a hot, blub of sugar on the end and a pair of plyers in his hand. He’s working on shaping some of the sugar into what looks like fins on the back side of the blub, adding some pressure to make some detail throughout the sugar blub that looks like it’s being formed into a goldfish.

Daichi allows Suga to stand in front of him, both of his arms wrapping around his shoulders as he watches over the other boys’ head. Both of Suga’s hands grip onto his fore arms, his grip tightening as he watches the artist finish the form of the goldfish and go onto detailing the treat with orange edible paint. The sight in front of them, watching one of the few people in Japan who still do this kind of art, is beautiful but it wouldn’t be nearly as beautiful if he were here with anyone but Suga. Daichi can tell by the way this his eyes are glued to the man working in front of him that this was just as amazing for him as it was for everyone else. Even Daichi can’t believe that someone would make a small goldfish, with all the details in about fifteen minutes.

Suga turns his attention to Daichi, just barely turning to glance up at him and never letting go of his grip on his arm. “You took me to see the art of Amezaiku? This is…” He trails off, not being able to find the words to describe whatever he was feeling. But his smile stretches so far up his face that it crinkles the skin near his eyes. “Wonderful, Daichi.”

“I remember one night we were talking about art, and you mentioned that we had really enjoyed going to some art exhibit at school, so I figured…” Daichi shrugs his shoulders just so, glancing from the artist with his paint brush and back to the boy in front of him. “Kuroo had mentioned Amezaiku one night and it gave me that idea. I was a little nervous about it, they only do these showings for a few hours a day and I wasn’t sure if we were going to miss it what with the trains backing up.”

The whole reason Daichi wanted to make it there _today_ was because he’d spent the last month and a half trying to get in contact with the man who does the art to make a special request; Daichi, had called to see if he would be willing and able to make a crow. It might be a little cliché, but if it wasn’t for the volleyball team Daichi doesn’t think that he and Suga would have ended up where they are now. It was because of the team that they had grown as close as they did, and so he wanted to be able to show Suga in some small way what it had all mean to him.

“Why were you worried?” There’s a confused look on Suga’s face, which Daichi doesn’t blame him for, it isn’t as if he was very forthcoming with that information either.

He was just about to say something, when he notices that the artist is getting ready to work on a new piece of sugar. It’s too early to tell what he’s going to be making, the sugar is still heating up in the fire, but he’s hoping that it’s the crow.

“After I got the idea to bring you here, I spent about a month and a half trying to get in contact with the artist, I wanted to see if he would take requests on art to make.” Daichi offers, resting his chin on top of Suga’s head.

In front of them, the artist begins to bend and shape the sugar, first forming two large wings, up and slightly bent like they’re getting ready for a fight. The next thing to take shape is the body and the tail, the details make the body of the animal look strong and steady as the tail balances out the rest. A small set of plyers begins to form the head and a beak, and adds details like the eyes and two small feet under the body. From where they are Daichi can see the artist begins to add in the intricate details, like the texture from the feathers, and the lines of the feet and tail. Even without the piece being fully finished he knows that that’s the piece he wants.

“I asked him if he’d make a crow.”

“For us.” Suga murmurs, watching the artist as he begins to paint the bird in a black paint with an undertone of navy, noticing how he’d done it so easily.

Daichi unwraps his arms from around Suga, and grabs his hand, leading him toward the register and closer to the artist painting their crow. He’d never thought of himself as a violent person, but he would fight any of these people watching to get that crow himself, for Suga. They watch the artist finish up the painting on the crow, adding some orange color for the beak and the feet, and packages him up like the rest of them, on a small, round piece of cardboard and wrapped in a crystal-clear plastic bag, tied together with a red ribbon. He makes sure to nod toward the artist, signaling that he’d like to purchase it.

The cashier hands over the item, in a small bag after Daichi hands over the correct amount of currency, and he takes it with a smile. He was perfectly comfortable with sticking around to watch the rest of the sugar sculptures that are going to be made, but Suga has other plans considering he’s grabbing onto Daichi’s arm to lead him away from the shopfront. It is puzzling, but who is Daichi to deny anything that Suga might want to do?

Carefully, Daichi hands over the bag containing the small crow, a soft smile on his features as he watches Suga cradle it in one of his hands, holding it carefully against his chest. There’s a little voice in his head that tells him Suga is probably not going to eat that crow, and he’s going to hold onto it for as long as he can. Which is perfectly fine with him, he hopes he brings it back to his apartment and every time he sees it he thinks about Daichi.

Suga is quiet for a little while, his eyebrows are pulled together, his lips set in a tight line like he’s thinking. All he waits for is the tongue that pokes out the side of his mouth when he’s _really_ thinking about something. Daichi can still remember the first time he saw it happen, while they were watching their senpai’s during first year and Suga was trying to break down the game play in one of their games early on. It had made his heart skip a beat then, just like it does now when he sees the tip peak out from between his lips.

“Suga…?”

Daichi tilts his head to the side slightly, a questioning look on his face. Was something wrong? Was he expecting something? From being a captain Daichi had been able to read when there was something nagging at his teammates, but it always seemed that he wasn’t able to read Suga, the one person he wishes he could. This moment is no different.

“Is something wrong?”

No matter how many times it’s happened to him in the past, it surprises him every single time that it happens. For someone who looks as angelic and harmless as Suga does, he sure as hell punches like someone that’s been doing martial arts for his entire life. The force of his fist in his arm is probably going to leave a light mark there in a few hours, but that’s not what’s concerning him, it’s _why_ Suga decided to punch him in the arm.

“Daichi, I really do like going out on dates with you. I like holding your hand, and the occasional kisses here and there, but for the love of our Kami, would you just ask me to be your boyfriend?”

It shocks him more than it should. They’ve known each other for three years, they’ve tip-toed around their feelings just nearly just as long, they know nearly everything about each other, they’ve been through so much together. It’s only been three dates in total, one complete failure, one rather exciting one, and then this one – he may not be an expert on dating, but he’s fairly sure that more than three dates are required before such a question. Then again, they aren’t like most other people.

Suga could never be considered like most other people. There has never been someone in his life that has continuously make him feel like he could conquer the world, he hadn’t ever met someone that could make him feel the warmth that he feels, there isn’t anyone else in the world that was able to lecture him like he does to others. Everyone is different, and everyone is special but Suga…, Suga is more than all of that, he’s more than what meets the eye.

His lips twitch into a smile despite the pain he feels in his arm for the punch. Who is he to deny Suga anything that he wants?

What they **both** want.

“Sugawara Koushi,” Daichi places one hand on Suga’s hip and the other on the side of his face, getting close enough but not enough to crush the sugar crow in the bag. “Would you do me the honor of allowing me to call you my boyfriend?”

The first thing that Daichi sees after he asks is the same face shattering smile, that crinkles the corners of Suga’s eyes enough that the mole he has shrinks in size. It’s also, consequently, the same smile that manages to send an arrow straight through his heart every time.

“I would love to give you that honor, Daichi.”

It isn’t their first kiss, nor their second or third and it is most certainly not going to be their last. Daichi meets Suga halfway, their lips pressing together in a delicate kiss, one that sends the same warmth surging through his body like every other time that the two of them kiss, or touch or are in the same vicinity as each other. It’s the same feeling that he gets when Suga calls him captain, the same one that he gets when Suga compliments him, the same one he gets when Suga touches his arm, or holds his hand.

It’s always been Suga, even when they were in their first year and were just friends, to third year at the celebration when they kissed for the first time, to right now in the middle of the Tokyo Solamachi, and it will continue to be Suga until Daichi takes his last breath, because Suga is more than anyone else, he is gentle, kind, intelligent and the only person that Daichi ever intends on letting make him feel warm.


End file.
